Mrs. DePalma- Yon
Deb DePalma-Yon has been teaching instrumental and general and vocal music, in various capacities for 30 years. In 1990, while homeschooling her 4 boys, she had 18 private lesson students with beginning piano and flute. As a participant of a homeschooling co-op, she taught general music and choir to the 25 children ages 4-16, and served as choir director and worship leader for children's church. In 2000 Debbie was hired to teach Jr. High choir and general music for St. Robert Catholic Schools. During her six and a half years there, she organized and directed Broadway Jr. Musicals with the Jr. High Choir, pioneered an instrumental music program, wrote grants and organized fundraising for the purchase 50 instruments, and earned a II rating in their first year of MSBOA Jr High Band Festival. In 2006, Deb was hired into Flint Community Schools for elementary music. In the 14 years in Flint, she has taught instrumental, general, and vocal music at Pierce, Brownell, Doyle Ryder, Eisenhower, Holmes, Brownell, Neithercut, Potter, Stewart, and Washington Elementary's. Deb is currently an Instrumental Itinerant at 5 elementary schools, teaching beginning and advance band, and beginning and advanced orchestra to 240 students.
My current responsibilities and goals for this year: Being an instrumental itinerant, I visit 5 elementary schools in 5 days. First Semester was recruiting students who have never had an opportunity to play an instrument. Teach the basics and perform their first audience concert for the school's winter program. All 240 students accomplished their goal of memorizing notes and producing a sound to play together as a group. In the second semester, students that desired to continue and progress became the school's advanced group, and we recruited new students that were inspired by the groups December performance, and started a beginner group. The students were preparing for their second performance, celebrating Black History Jazz Musicians, with some easy jazz tunes, but we were cut short by the ending of school due to Corona Virus.